Cleveland National Air Show canceled for 2013 because of federal budget cuts

Updated March 25, 2013 at 10:10 PM;Posted March 25, 2013 at 1:45 PM

cleveland international air show.jpg

Frank Papiska, left, and his son Nick, 6, from Kent, pose in front of a U.S. Navy F/A-18C Hornet during the 2012 Cleveland International Air Show last September at Burke Lakefront Airport. This year's show has been canceled because of federal budget cuts.
(Photo by Peggy Turbett, Plain Dealer file photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland National Air Show has become a victim of the "sequester," as federal budget cuts that took effect at the beginning of the month have forced the cancellation of the annual Labor Day event.

Organizers of the air show issued a news release today announcing its cancellation. It's the first time the air show won't be held in Cleveland since its first event in 1964, said air show spokeswoman Kim Dell.

“After considering the effect this will have on programming, attendance and
the financial viability of producing a 2013 event, the Executive Committee of Cleveland
National Air Show Inc. Board of Trustees made the decision to cancel this year’s
Air Show," Chuck Newcomb, executive director of the show, said in the news release. "Though regrettable, this action is viewed to be in the long term best interest of the Air Show, the City of Cleveland and the valued fans that annually attend the event.”

"If you don't have a jet team, your attendance is 20 to 25 percent below [normal]," Dell said. "If you take away all of the military components, it's not sure what kind of attendance you'd have."

Dell said about 30 air shows have been canceled across the country because of federal budget cuts. She said even if a budget deal were reached before Labor Day, it's unlikely the show would be held this year.

Air show officials will continue planning to hold the event in 2014, she said.

"Our plans are to fire back up for 2014," she said. "Right now the Blue Angels are scheduled for our show. We'll continue [planning] until instructed otherwise.

"The good thing about Cleveland is it’s a well-established event. We can stand down for a year and fire back hopefully when some of these issues are resolved."

The impact will be felt across the city, from restaurants to parking lots, because the air show at Burke Lakefront Airport typically attracts from 60,000 to 100,000 visitors.

"We get a better-than-normal night when the air show is in town," said Bernie Sokolowski, co-owner of Sokolowski's University Inn in Tremont. "We depend on perks like the air show. Maybe we should conduct our own fundraiser to bring it back. This is yet another cut where we have to tighten up our chinstraps."

Rob Shoens, general manager for Winking Lizard Tavern downtown, said he has been attending the air show since he was 5, and its cancellation will be more disastrous to the city's culture than it will be for business.

"We typically see a lot of the pilots, military personnel and workers at the air show on Labor Day weekend here," Shoens said. "The loss of the Cleveland Grand Prix was not good, but the loss of the air show will be far worse because it's been a big part of the city for a long time."

The tax impact on the city isn't known because "we don't track by event nor can we release specific tax data," said Maureen Harper, spokeswoman for Mayor Frank Jackson, in an email.

The Air Force Public Affairs Department said Friday that all air shows across the country will cease April 1, said Chuck Newcomb, executive director of the show since 1975.

"This is a very regrettable but rational step," Newcomb said. "Only shows in 2013 are being canceled, so we're making plans to get the air show going again in 2014."

The government supplies no federal money toward the air show, he said, but it does provide more than half of the show's airplanes, plus military personnel.

The 2012 air show generated $7.1 million in economic impact, said Colette Jones, a vice president of marketing at Positively Cleveland, which markets Cleveland.

"The Cleveland National Air Show has a great national reputation," she said. "Typically, approximately 35 percent of the visitors to the event are from more than 50 miles away. The cancellation of the 2013 air show is a significant loss to the Cleveland community after having a presence here for close to 50 years."

Earlier this month, Ann Stefanek, spokeswoman for the Department of the Air Force, announced in an email that the Cleveland National Air Show would not have the Thunderbirds performing in 2013 because of sequestration.

The Thunderbirds and Blue Angels traditionally come to Cleveland in alternate years.

Downtown could be relatively empty Labor Day weekend with the Cleveland Indians out of town. They return on Monday, Labor Day, to play the Baltimore Orioles at 4:05 p.m.

Paul Harris, secretary for the Great Geauga County Fair -- the state's oldest fair -- said his Labor Day weekend event is a good alternative.

"We'll welcome all of them to the fair," Harris said. "We'll be happy to have them at a family-friendly event like ours."